Ed Therapy
by SusArackAhack
Summary: In which a pipsqueak puts Mustang's troubles into perspective. [Oneshot, Roy Ed platonic]


**I don't own FMA.**

**An-** RoyEd, platonic (unless you interprate it differently than I)

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need anything, sir?" Lieutenant Hawkeye asked her superior officer in an honestly concerned yet professional tone. He was worrying his subordinates with his 'new habits' as of late.

"No, dismissed," her colonel answered monotonously.

With a small sigh, the first lieutenant saluted and turned on her heel sharply, exiting the room in a crisp, soldier-like fashion.

The rain pattered on the windows of Central Headquarters as the footsteps of the lieutenant echoed down the dark and lonely hallway. Lost in thought, she jumped slightly as she rounded a corner and almost ran into another person.

It took her a moment to realize who it was, but considering the figure barely came up to her shoulder and seemed rather miffed about something or other, the identification was narrowed in seconds.

"What are you doing here at this time of night, Fullmetal? Office hours were over almost two hours ago," she asked promptly.

"I need to talk to jackass Mustang, that's what!" he fumed, "He pulled Al and I from our visit to Risembool, and now he wants us to go on some wild goose chase in Eastern!"

"Now, Fullmetal, can't it wait until tomorrow? The colonel is…." She trailed off, but when she looked at the spot where the spunky blonde was only moments before, she found him gone, with only the echo of angry boots growing fainter left in his wake.

Maybe seeing Ed will help get the colonel out of his current rut, throwing insults at the kid was always a favorite pastime of his. She could only hope it helped more than it hurt.

Ed barged through the door of Colonel Mustang's office door with every intention of verbally (and physically, should his temper rise further) ripping the man to shreds.

However, at the sight that greeted him, his face froze in its angered expression, then slowly melted to a softer, albeit still guarded, expression.

The colonel was by no means a pathetic man, although Ed often liked to rant and belittle him to his brother or anyone that would listen. Now, however the older man was sitting hunched in his chair, a glass of half empty whiskey in on hand and other elbow on the desk, hand propping up his downtrodden face which, Ed imagined, was probably contorted or moping melancholy, he couldn't decide which.

"Colonel?" Ed tentatively asked, not sure how to approach him, unguarded as he was.

"What is it, Fullmetal?" the blonde alchemist was taken aback at the soft and almost careless tone in which he was addressed. He doubted the Colonel would be up to any insult taking today, ready as he was to give it.

Choking back his previous outrage (why was he angry, again?), Ed decided to do something completely out of character for him, Al would be proud at his restraint.

"What's wrong with you?" It might not be the most consoling of his verbal choices, but it was a start.

"What do you want, Fullmetal?" the downtrodden colonel persisted, head still down.

"I want to know what the Hell's up with you!"

Roy just sighed between several seconds of silence.

"Answer me, you pompous ass!" Ed half shouted, in no mood for the colonel's half-hearted attempt to side step his inquiries.

This caused the officer to look up, hand coming back down on his desk. Ed's mouth opened slightly as he looked upon the red rimmed, bloodshot orbs, almost completely hollowed with sleep deprivation. Maybe the shadows of the night were deepening the effect, Ed thought spontaneously, but somewhere in his skull he doubted it was his mind or the lighting playing tricks on him. The colonel was falling apart.

"Mustang?" Ed once more prodded, voice lacking the sting it did earlier.

The colonel just sighed, leaning back in his chair and swirling the remaining whiskey in his glass, looking into it with a dazed and vacant expression like a gypsy would her crystal ball.

"You didn't come here to ask what was wrong with me, so what is it you want, Fullmetal? It's late," his charcoal eyes, somewhat dulled, looked up to pierce him.

"You're right, I didn't," Ed responded, "but when you look like a depressed drunk it takes some of the fun out of slinging insults at you."

Roy tilted his head slightly, studying Ed. "I'm not drunk, nor am I depressed," he responded flatly.

"Bullshit," Ed called his bluff.

At that Roy's eyes narrowed.

"Is this about Maes? Ishbal? Women troubles?" Ed threw out in a mocking tone, "Get over it! What's the future if you're too damn busy dwelling in the past?"

Mustang's fist slammed down on the desk, whiskey sloshing over and staining his white gloves. "Shut up, pipsqueak!" he shouted back, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"No! You don't know what the hell _you're_ talking about! How can you do this when there are still people around that need you to finish what you started, huh? You think everyone can't tell what you're doing to yourself? Have you looked in a mirror recently?" His volume increased.

He stopped at the stricken look on the older man's face, signifying that his words had hit home. How could the he abandon all his goals, his subordinates, let the military go on being corrupt just because he couldn't let go? He looked down at the Whiskey in his hand and staining his glove, before setting the glass on the corner of his desk and peeling off his now sticky alchemic gloves.

"Why don't you get your lazy, self-pitying ass up and fix this?" Ed finished, still shouting.

They stared eachother down in silence for a moment, Roy pondering Ed's words further before the short blonde moved to leave.

Roy smirked at Ed's back as he turned to walk out the door, "I expect a full report on the situation at Eastern on my desk in two weeks, Fullmetal."

"Bastard!" Ed fumed once more as he slammed Colonel Mustang's door shut on his way out.

He barely heard the quiet, "Thanks, Ed," as he stormed his way toward the exit.

Before he got there however, he ran back into the First Lieutenant, who was leaning on the wall across from the doors, apparently waiting.

"How is he?" she asked.

"The bastard's fine," he grunted shortly.

Hawkeye smiled as he thundered his way through the doors and down the steps.

"Thanks, Ed," She said after him, not sure if he heard her or not.

In the cold rain, the Fullmetal Alchemist shook his head and gave a half-smile.

"I have to stop being so damn nice."


End file.
